Tiffany McClay
Dr. Fogleman
EDC 102H
27 September 2011 Early Schooling
Like most children I dreamed of starting school, of going to kindergarten and learning how to read and write. I was disappointed when I first began kindergarten. I thought all we did was play. My mom recently told me I would come home and complain that I did not learn anything. I never realized I was actually learning. As I made my way through elementary school I began to realize I really was learning. I learned how to communicate with others and how to share. Teachers taught me the alphabet, words, and sentences. Before I knew it, I was writing about my day, and reading Magic Treehouse books. Next thing I knew I was in fifth grade preparing for middle school. It was in elementary school when I first realized I wanted to be a teacher.
My earliest memory of wanting to be teacher was in first grade. I suffered from multiple ear-infections back to back throughout first grade. Unlike the other students I was not able to go outside for recess because the cold air bothered my ears too much. My teacher, Mrs. Connelly, would give up her break and play games and complete puzzles with me. Even then I knew Mrs. Connelly was making a sacrifice to keep me entertained and healthy. I wanted to be just like her, selfless, and a teacher.
Later, in fifth grade I discovered a new first grade teacher needed help from older students. The teacher was Ms. Perkins. In third grade she was my long term substitute while my actual teacher was on maternity leave, so I was familiar with Ms. Perkins already. I went into her classroom on many of my recess breaks. I read to the students. I helped them with their journals by correcting spelling and punctuation. I had so much fun. That was the first time I had any experience teaching. Ms. Perkins helped me verify my dream to become a teacher.
While elementary school was filled with great happy memories, middle school was a different story. I struggled with middle school, socially and academically. It was such an awkward time. In middle school I questioned my dreams of becoming a teacher. There were so many changes, and new faces. I did not know what to do.
I went through sixth, seventh and eighth grade trying to meet people and get As and Bs in all of my classes. In eighth grade it finally started to turn around. I had an amazing Algebra I teacher, Mr. Gouvin. He taught me the fundamentals of algebra and he helped restore my dreams of being a teacher. He was always so kind and helpful. He showed me what being a good teacher entailed. Mr. Gouvin balanced discipline of students with poor behavior, kindness, and lectures with class discussions and laughter. He became and inspiration to me.
To this day, I still consider middle school to be the worst three years of my academic and social life. Despite Mr. Gouvin and a couple of other teachers who helped ease my path through those troubling times I never want to look back on those days. As poor as the memories are, I do believe middle school made me a stronger person. I know I can get through anything.
Elementary school helped create my dream and middle school was an earth quake that threatened to tear it down. Thankfully I made it, and I was able to go to high school, some of the best times, but that’s another story.
Dr. Fogleman
EDC 102H
27 September 2011
Early Schooling
Like most children I dreamed of starting school, of going to kindergarten and learning how to read and write. I was disappointed when I first began kindergarten. I thought all we did was play. My mom recently told me I would come home and complain that I did not learn anything. I never realized I was actually learning. As I made my way through elementary school I began to realize I really was learning. I learned how to communicate with others and how to share. Teachers taught me the alphabet, words, and sentences. Before I knew it, I was writing about my day, and reading Magic Treehouse books. Next thing I knew I was in fifth grade preparing for middle school. It was in elementary school when I first realized I wanted to be a teacher.
My earliest memory of wanting to be teacher was in first grade. I suffered from multiple ear-infections back to back throughout first grade. Unlike the other students I was not able to go outside for recess because the cold air bothered my ears too much. My teacher, Mrs. Connelly, would give up her break and play games and complete puzzles with me. Even then I knew Mrs. Connelly was making a sacrifice to keep me entertained and healthy. I wanted to be just like her, selfless, and a teacher.
Later, in fifth grade I discovered a new first grade teacher needed help from older students. The teacher was Ms. Perkins. In third grade she was my long term substitute while my actual teacher was on maternity leave, so I was familiar with Ms. Perkins already. I went into her classroom on many of my recess breaks. I read to the students. I helped them with their journals by correcting spelling and punctuation. I had so much fun. That was the first time I had any experience teaching. Ms. Perkins helped me verify my dream to become a teacher.
While elementary school was filled with great happy memories, middle school was a different story. I struggled with middle school, socially and academically. It was such an awkward time. In middle school I questioned my dreams of becoming a teacher. There were so many changes, and new faces. I did not know what to do.
I went through sixth, seventh and eighth grade trying to meet people and get As and Bs in all of my classes. In eighth grade it finally started to turn around. I had an amazing Algebra I teacher, Mr. Gouvin. He taught me the fundamentals of algebra and he helped restore my dreams of being a teacher. He was always so kind and helpful. He showed me what being a good teacher entailed. Mr. Gouvin balanced discipline of students with poor behavior, kindness, and lectures with class discussions and laughter. He became and inspiration to me.
To this day, I still consider middle school to be the worst three years of my academic and social life. Despite Mr. Gouvin and a couple of other teachers who helped ease my path through those troubling times I never want to look back on those days. As poor as the memories are, I do believe middle school made me a stronger person. I know I can get through anything.
Elementary school helped create my dream and middle school was an earth quake that threatened to tear it down. Thankfully I made it, and I was able to go to high school, some of the best times, but that’s another story.